Is Sonoma County Special Education a good school?

Sonoma County Special Education ranks in the bottom 1.6% of California alternative schools.

How many students attend Sonoma County Special Education?

In the 2022-23 school year, 214 students attended Sonoma County Special Education.

What is the racial makeup of Sonoma County Special Education?

Students at Sonoma County Special Education are 51% Hispanic, 35% White, 6% Two or more races, 5% Asian, 2% African American.

Sonoma County Special Education

Summary:

Sonoma County Special Education is an alternative public school in Santa Rosa, California, serving 214 students from kindergarten through 12th grade. As an alternative school, it caters to students with special educational needs and provides specialized instruction and support.

Sonoma County Special Education faces significant challenges, with consistently low four-year graduation rates ranging from 0% to 16.7% over the past five school years, much lower than the state average of around 47% and the Sonoma County Office of Education district average of around 4.5%. The school also has high dropout rates, ranging from 8.3% to 25%, much higher than the state average of around 9% and the Sonoma County Office of Education district average of around 13%. Additionally, Sonoma County Special Education experiences high chronic absenteeism rates, ranging from 40.7% to 67.2%, substantially higher than the state average of around 14% and the Sonoma County Office of Education district average of around 25%. Academically, the school's proficiency rates in Smarter Balanced Assessments and the California Science Test (CAST) are significantly lower than the state and Sonoma County Office of Education district averages.

In contrast, some nearby charter schools, such as Pathways Charter, California Pacific Charter - Sonoma, and Orchard View, demonstrate higher graduation rates, lower dropout rates, and better academic performance compared to Sonoma County Special Education and other alternative schools in the Sonoma County Office of Education district. This suggests that the charter school model may be more effective in addressing the needs of students with special educational requirements in the area.

Detail:

Public, Alternative K-12

5340 Skylane Blvd.
Santa Rosa, CA 95403-8246

(707) 524-2710

District: Sonoma County Office of Education

SchoolDigger Rank:
2286^th of 2,323 California Alternative Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $45,174

Student/teacher ratio: 8.9

Number of students: 214

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

50.9%

White:

34.6%

Two or more races:

5.6%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 38.3%

See top rated California elementary schools

Compare Sonoma County Special Education to nearby alternative schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details Sonoma County Special Education is not ranked due for the most recent year due to insufficient test score data. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2006 the calculated Average Standard Score was 5.97. (See more...)

Compare Details Sonoma County Special Education is not ranked due for the most recent year due to insufficient test score data. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2013 the calculated Average Standard Score was 5.71. (See more...)

Compare Details Sonoma County Special Education ranks worse than 98.4% of high schools in California. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 6.08. (See more...)

The Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate (ACGR) measures the percentage of Sonoma County Special Education freshmen who graduate within four years, adjusting for students who transfer in or out.

The high school dropout rate measures the percentage of students who do not complete their high school education.

Chronic absenteeism in a high school refers to a situation where students repeatedly miss school, with the threshold often defined as missing 10% or more of school days for any reason, excused or unexcused.

Student Body

Compare Details Sonoma County Special Education has the largest alternative school student body size in the Sonoma County Office of Education School District. Racial makeup is: Hispanic (50.9%), White (34.6%), two or more races (5.6%). (See more...)

Compare Details 38.3% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. This is the lowest percentage in the Sonoma County Office of Education School District. (See more...)

Compare Details (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Sonoma County Special Education is 8.9, which is the lowest among 3 alternative schools in the Sonoma County Office of Education School District! (See more...)

Compare Sonoma County Special Education employs 24 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Sonoma County Special Education is $45,174, which is the highest among 3 alternative schools in the Sonoma County Office of Education School District!

Schooldigger Rankings:

Sonoma County Special Education was not ranked this year due to insufficient test score data.

SchoolDigger ranks Sonoma County Special Education 2286^th of 2323 California public high schools. (See Sonoma County Special Education in the ranking list.)

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Rank History for Sonoma County Special Education

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Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2004	6.52	4776^th	4809	0.7%
2006	5.97	4772^nd	4818	1.0%

See the entire list of California Alternative School Rankings!

Data source: test scores: California Department of Education, rankings: SchoolDigger.com

Rank History for Sonoma County Special Education

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Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	CA State Percentile
2004	10.65	1668^th	1769	5.7%
2005	11.34	1648^th	1777	7.3%
2006	6.52	1744^th	1804	3.3%
2009	24.82	1604^th	2063	22.2%
2010	15.59	1949^th	2179	10.6%
2013	5.71	2312^th	2379	2.8%

See the entire list of California Alternative School Rankings!

Data source: test scores: California Department of Education, rankings: SchoolDigger.com

Rank History for Sonoma County Special Education

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Rank History for all high school students at Sonoma County Special Education

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	CA State Percentile
2004	20.91	1232^nd	1653	25.5%
2005	22.65	1300^th	1901	31.6%
2006	26.01	1215^th	1968	38.3%
2007	22.73	1387^th	2063	32.8%
2008	7.04	1940^th	2117	8.4%
2009	10.06	2019^th	2238	9.8%
2010	9.18	2027^th	2281	11.1%
2011	14.52	1875^th	2367	20.8%
2012	18.75	1667^th	2354	29.2%
2013	9.38	2101^st	2426	13.4%
2023	6.78	2279^th	2348	2.9%
2024	6.08	2286^th	2323	1.6%

See the entire list of California Alternative School Rankings!

Rank History for high school Special Education students at Sonoma County Special Education

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	24.48	1180^th	1547	23.7%
2024	22.92	1253^rd	1534	18.3%

See the entire list of Best California Alternative Schools for Special Education Students!

Rank History for high school Low Socio Economic Status students at Sonoma County Special Education

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	3.74	2235^th	2247	0.5%
2024	4.58	2220^th	2235	0.7%

See the entire list of Best California Alternative Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for high school Male students at Sonoma County Special Education

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	5.52	2181^st	2207	1.2%
2024	4.40	2164^th	2172	0.4%

See the entire list of Best California Alternative Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for high school Hispanic students at Sonoma County Special Education

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	3.67	2133^rd	2142	0.4%
2024	3.41	2117^th	2125	0.4%

See the entire list of Best California Alternative Schools for Hispanic Students!

Rank History for high school White students at Sonoma County Special Education

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	4.04	1359^th	1434	5.2%
2024	2.93	1350^th	1406	4.0%

See the entire list of Best California Alternative Schools for White Students!

Data source: test scores: California Department of Education, rankings: SchoolDigger.com

As you review the school rankings data, please be aware that some of the information from certain demographics is missing. The reason for this omission is that the data has been redacted from the source data itself due to low population samples in these specific demographic groups.

Redacting data from low population samples is a necessary step to ensure the reliability and accuracy of the results, as small sample sizes may not be representative of the broader population. Additionally, this measure helps protect the privacy of individuals belonging to these demographic groups.

Data source: California Department of Education

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Enrollment information for Sonoma County Special Education

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
1988	505	32	15	57	2	n/a	n/a	0	611
1989	562	22	16	43	2	n/a	n/a	0	645
1990	875	36	23	102	1	n/a	n/a	0	1037
1991	493	22	17	64	2	n/a	n/a	0	598
1992	522	59	21	59	13	n/a	n/a	0	674
1993	514	48	22	66	9	n/a	n/a	0	659
1994	497	46	18	90	4	n/a	n/a	0	655
1995	480	61	25	99	12	n/a	n/a	0	677
1996	480	61	25	99	12	n/a	n/a	0	677
1997	548	67	23	117	21	n/a	n/a	0	776
1998	403	62	20	87	10	n/a	n/a	0	582
1999	336	19	13	98	3	n/a	n/a	0	469
2000	394	27	18	92	5	n/a	n/a	0	536
2001	373	55	20	97	11	n/a	n/a	27	583
2002	363	34	16	112	8	n/a	n/a	27	560
2003	363	34	16	112	8	n/a	n/a	27	560
2004	338	31	13	97	6	n/a	n/a	22	507
2005	316	29	14	109	7	n/a	n/a	27	502
2006	303	27	12	97	5	n/a	n/a	17	461
2007	329	29	12	101	6	n/a	n/a	1	478
2008	303	20	12	110	5	n/a	n/a	0	450
2009	212	15	9	97	2	0	0	0	335
2010	195	15	12	102	3	2	2	0	331
2011	287	18	20	141	4	2	6	0	478
2012	283	14	17	158	6	2	7	0	487
2013	286	18	16	175	8	2	10	0	515
2014	290	21	15	192	12	3	16	0	549
2015	229	16	14	177	8	1	12	0	457
2016	183	16	10	163	6	1	8	0	387
2017	155	16	9	166	8	0	8	0	362
2018	166	16	11	191	9	2	8	0	403
2019	149	11	12	190	10	3	10	0	385
2020	138	14	10	170	6	3	13	0	354
2021	124	11	10	151	0	2	13	0	311
2022	87	8	9	119	1	2	13	0	239
2023	74	5	11	109	1	1	12	1	214

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Enrollment/Ethnicity

For more information about how the Department of Education defines ethnicity, see Defining Race and Ethnicity Data, National Center for Education Statistics

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at Sonoma County Special Education

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	611	93.4	6.5	n/a
1989	645	74.2	8.6	n/a
1990	1037	84.1	12.3	n/a
1991	598	62.0	9.6	n/a
1992	674	63.0	10.6	n/a
1993	659	73.9	8.9	0
1994	655	55.0	11.9	0
1995	677	50.5	13.4	0
1996	677	50.5	13.4	0
1997	776	53.5	14.5	0
1998	582	80.9	7.2	0
1999	469	74.6	6.3	0
2000	536	69.4	7.7	0
2001	583	107.1	5.4	0
2002	560	117.5	4.8	0
2003	560	117.5	4.8	0
2004	507	109.4	4.6	2.3
2005	502	105.3	4.8	0.6
2006	461	91.7	5.0	0
2007	478	95.9	5.0	4.6
2008	450	128.5	3.5	n/a
2009	335	68.1	3.8	0
2010	331	53.6	6.1	n/a
2011	478	n/a	n/a	0
2012	487	49.0	9.9	n/a
2013	515	50.0	10.3	6.4
2014	549	53.0	10.3	29.3
2015	457	43.0	10.6	30.4
2016	387	38.0	10.1	14
2017	362	37.0	9.7	13.5
2018	403	40.5	9.9	20.1
2019	385	42.0	9.1	22.9
2020	354	n/a	n/a	36.7
2021	311	37.0	8.3	25.7
2022	239	29.5	8.0	38.1
2023	214	24.0	8.9	38.3

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Students eligible for discounted/free lunch:

The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) provides low-cost or free meals to students in U.S. public and nonprofit private schools based on household income. Those with incomes below 130% of the poverty line receive free lunch, while those between 130% and 185% qualify for reduced-price lunch. The percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch serves as a marker for poverty, as it reflects the socioeconomic status of families in a given school or district. A higher FRPL rate typically indicates a higher concentration of low-income families, suggesting that the school or district may face additional challenges in providing adequate resources and support for student success.

Student/Teacher Ratio Sonoma County Special Education

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	611	93.4	6.5	n/a
1989	645	74.2	8.6	n/a
1990	1037	84.1	12.3	n/a
1991	598	62.0	9.6	n/a
1992	674	63.0	10.6	n/a
1993	659	73.9	8.9	0
1994	655	55.0	11.9	0
1995	677	50.5	13.4	0
1996	677	50.5	13.4	0
1997	776	53.5	14.5	0
1998	582	80.9	7.2	0
1999	469	74.6	6.3	0
2000	536	69.4	7.7	0
2001	583	107.1	5.4	0
2002	560	117.5	4.8	0
2003	560	117.5	4.8	0
2004	507	109.4	4.6	2.3
2005	502	105.3	4.8	0.6
2006	461	91.7	5.0	0
2007	478	95.9	5.0	4.6
2008	450	128.5	3.5	n/a
2009	335	68.1	3.8	0
2010	331	53.6	6.1	n/a
2011	478	n/a	n/a	0
2012	487	49.0	9.9	n/a
2013	515	50.0	10.3	6.4
2014	549	53.0	10.3	29.3
2015	457	43.0	10.6	30.4
2016	387	38.0	10.1	14
2017	362	37.0	9.7	13.5
2018	403	40.5	9.9	20.1
2019	385	42.0	9.1	22.9
2020	354	n/a	n/a	36.7
2021	311	37.0	8.3	25.7
2022	239	29.5	8.0	38.1
2023	214	24.0	8.9	38.3

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Student-Teacher Ratio

Student/teacher ratio is calculated by dividing the total number of students by the total number of full-time equivalent teachers. Please note that a smaller student/teacher ratio does not necessarily translate to smaller class size. In some instances, schools hire teachers part time, and some teachers are hired for specialized instruction with very small class sizes. These and other factors contribute to the student/teacher ratio. Note: For private schools, Student/teacher ratio may not include Pre-Kindergarten.

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